Interactive guest image capture using video wall/floor/ceiling displays for selections of background scenes, and selection/distribution of customized

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for creating and distributing professional quality pictorial souvenirs giving the illusion that guests of a facility were imaged at other locations, including making initial arrangements with guests, showing selections of background scene images at video displays and flashing chroma key images interspersed with frames of the scene images, taking key guest images in synch with the flashed key images, extracting guest image content from the key guest images and merging into selecting scene images, showing initial merges images for guest selection and providing souvenir portfolios that include merged images to guests or designees after making financial arrangements, including for payment to third parties for copyright content included in the souvenirs and with advertisers for promotional material included in the souvenirs.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of applicationSer. No. 14/135,858 filed Dec. 20, 2013, which is a CIP of applicationSer. No. 13/914,533 filed Jun. 10, 2013, which is a CIP of:

-   (1) application Ser. No. 12/772,275 filed May 3, 2010 and now U.S.    Pat. No. 8,463,654 issued Jun. 11, 2013, which claims the benefit of    provisional applications 61/174,515 filed May 1, 2009 and 61/293,035    filed Jan. 7, 2010;-   (2) application Ser. No. 13/116,487 filed May 26, 2011, which is    allowed, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/691,583 filed Mar.    27, 2007 and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,223 issued Jun. 21, 2011, which    is a CIP of Ser. No. 11/279,642 filed Apr. 13, 2006 and now U.S.    Pat. No. 7,881,968 issued Feb. 1, 2011, which claims the benefit of    provisional application 60/671,928 filed Apr. 15, 2005;-   (3) application Ser. No. 13/299,679 filed Nov. 18, 2011, which    claims the benefit of provisional application No. 61/415,026 filed    Nov. 18, 2010, which is a CIP of Ser. No. 11/854,605 filed Sep. 13,    2007 and now U.S. Pat. No. 8,260,674 issued Sep. 4, 2012, which    itself is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 11/691,583 filed Mar.    27, 2007 and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,223 issued Jun. 21, 2011, which    itself is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/279,642    filed Apr. 13, 2006 and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,881,968 issued Feb. 1,    2011, which claims the benefit of provisional application 60/671,928    filed Apr. 15, 2005; and-   (4) application Ser. No. 13/594,299 filed Aug. 24, 2012 and claiming    the benefit of provisional application 61/526,823 filed Aug. 24,    2011.    This application incorporates by reference the entire contents of    the utility and provisional applications identified above.

FIELD

This patent specification relates to automated systems and methodsproviding persons such as guests at a facility or venue with customizedsouvenir portfolios containing professional quality images, or a singleimage in some cases, creating the illusion that the guests were imagedin other environments.

BACKGROUND

Techniques are known for taking professional quality images of peopleagainst painted backgrounds. For example, a person can be imaged in astudio while standing in front of a wall or a drop cloth painted with abackground image to create the appearance that the person actually wasin that background scene, or a person can be imaged in front of a greencloth backdrop to take a picture that can be composited into a pictureof a scene such as Times Square.

These processes have certain limitations. For example, taking images owith the person in front of a green cloth background detracts from afeeling of being in an elegant or themed setting, and standing in frontof a painted scene wall painting is limiting because of factors such asthe practical availability of only one or a few painted walls. Using ablank wall as background for images for merging with other images is notvisually appealing and deprives the person being imaged of a sense ofwhat the merged image will ultimately show, the person cannot pose in away that accounts for the intended background, and there is noopportunity for interaction with background or for convenientlyassessing different backgrounds. If the guest clothing contain a colorclose to the blank wall color, there can be difficulties in extractingthe person's image from the background or in changing the backgroundcolor. In a television broadcast, a reporter can be seen as pointing toa weather map but in fact is in front of a blue or green screen and thereporter's image is digitally merged into a video clip of the weathermap. Image merging also is used for special effects in movie making butthrough the use of highly specialized stages and image editingfacilities that are impractical for use in settings such as with guestsat a popular building or venue for portfolios that they could purchase.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This patent specification describes systems and methods creating anddistributing professional quality images giving the illusion that theywere taken when a guest was in any of many environments that can beselected on the spot, preferably after viewing not only possibleenvironments but also initial images of the guest appearing to be imagedin these environments. The system and methods are designed to allow forinclusion in venues where systems such as discussed in the Backgroundsection would not have been allowed due to unattractiveness of the setupor limited option. In addition, the system and methods are designed toencourage a guest to purchase images by making the process particularlyconvenient and allowing a guest to experience being in the virtualenvironments. For example, a guest can be standing in the Empire Statebuilding or in fact anywhere, and see on surrounding video surfaces suchas walls, floor and ceiling a succession of different possiblebackground scenes, such the building in different light or weatherconditions, a view from a great height, a view of the street below, aview to the Statue of Liberty at different times of day, or even scenesof Paris that would be seen from the Eiffel tower. The guest's image canbe inserted into any of these backgrounds to give the illusion that theguest actually was imaged in that environment. The guest can look atpossible background images to make a selection and also can look atinitial merged images to make purchase decisions, in response to whichthe system and method can automatically create a customized portfolio,charge the guest, make any needed transactions with third parties, anddeliver the portfolio to the guest and/or designees in electronic orhard copy form.

One example of a preferred embodiment is a computer-assisted method ofcreating and distributing professional quality pictorial souvenirsgiving the illusion that the guests were imaged at other locations. Themethod comprises showing background scene image frames on a videosurface for selection, taking guest images while a video surface flashesa chroma key background, preferably in a way that does not interferewith the guest's perception of being in the background scene shown onthe video surface, image-processing the guest image taken against achroma key background in a programmed computer to extract the guestimage from the surrounding key background, merging the extracted imagewith one or more selected background scene images to generate initialversions of images showing the guest merged into the selected sceneimages, showing merged initial images to the guest, and responding tointeraction with the guest to identify images for purchase, generatepictorial souvenirs from the purchased images, charge guests forpictorial souvenirs, account for charges to or from third parties suchas advertisers and content owners, and deliver the souvenirs to guestsand/or designees, including essentially instant delivery for immediacyof fulfillment. Flexibility can be built in by techniques such asimproving guest flow by varying the choice of background scenes fromfewer scenes offered on busy days to more on slower days. Up-saleoptions can be offered such as portfolios that include special frames oreffects. The system also can include data mining so that system aspectssuch as guest flow and types of offerings can be improved based onexperience gained with guests and so that promotional activities can beimproved.

Plural key guest images of a guest can be taken in succession, possiblywith respective different chroma key backgrounds, so that the bestextraction of a guest image can be used in merging with backgroundscenes, or portions of different extractions can be combined for bestresult. An operator can select the one or more chroma key backgroundsthat are most likely to result in good extraction of guest images, orthe computer system can do it automatically by color analysis of one ormore initial images of the guest. The guest may or may not be aware ofkey backgrounds that are flashed on the video surface because they canbe displayed for only a very short time, e.g., for only a single videoframe or even for two video fields interspersed among the fields andframes of background scene images. As a result, the guest's perceptioncan be that the images are actually taken in the environment of thebackground scene images, e.g., at Time Square or on top of the EiffelTower. Plural cameras can be used concurrently and/or in succession, togive customers the option of viewing plural initial images and thusencourage the purchase of more portfolio content. The background sceneimages can be stock or live images, and can include zooming in/out. Thiscan give the guest the ultimate experience of a perception of being inthe actual background scene when the guest key image is being taken. Forinstance, the video surface can be showing a stock or live video clip ofa field with a game going on, and the key guest images can be takenduring the showing of the game, with only an occasional flash of a frameor field of a chroma key background that may or may not be noticeable tothe guest, with one or more key guest images taken in synch with suchflashing. As another example, a customer image can be inserted in animage of the Eiffel tower in the form of a video clip as though takenfrom a satellite or a helicopter filming Paris and zooming down to thetower and then to the customer standing on top of the tower. Betweentaking guest images, the video surface can show promotional material. Aguest can engage with the system through a device such as a smartphone,a tablet computer such as an iPad or similar device mounted at aconvenient location, or through a kiosk that may or may not use helpfrom facility personnel to facilitate or encourage purchases ofportfolios,

The term guest is used in this patent application to refer to anindividual or a group of individuals such as visitors to a tourist orother attraction, who may or may not have yet expressed an interest inbeing imaged and purchasing a pictorial souvenir. The term video surfacedesignates one or more surfaces, such as walls, floors, and ceilingsnear or surrounding a guest, which surface can show background scenes,chroma keys, or promotional or other material. Examples are LCD orplasma screen displays, front-projection or back-projection videoscreens, and other types of displays of video images that exist or willcome into use. Key image refers to a background such as a red, blue, orgreen, or any other color image that can be shown on the video screenand from which a guest image can be extracted by processing such assegmentation. Key guest image means an image of guest that is taken witha key image serving as background. Background scene image refers to anyimage that can be shown on the video screen, such as an image of TimesSquare or Paris. A selection of background scene images can be offeredto guests. For example, a location at a venue such as a Las Vegas hotelcan have an installed iPad or a similar device through which a guest canscroll through background scenes that are canned or live, and select oneor more into which guest images can be merged, with the guest imagestaken against a chroma key image on the spot or elsewhere.

Another example of a preferred embodiment is an automated systemconfigured to create professional quality pictorial souvenirs giving theillusion that a guest was imaged at other locations. The system cancomprise a guest facility that includes a video surface serving asbackground for taking key guest images and for showing background scenesand/or other images, an automated camera system configured to take keyguest images at the facility, a video image source of background sceneand key image frames, a system control computer configured to direct theimage sources to supply selected background scene image frames and keyimage frames to the video surface and to direct the video surface todisplay the supplied background scene image frames and key image frames,where the system control computer is further configured to direct thecamera system to take key guest images when the video surface isdisplaying at least one of the key frames, thereby producing key guestimages with key image backgrounds, an image processing computerconfigured to receive a key guest image, extract an image of the guest,and merge the extracted image with respective selected scene images,thereby forming merged images of guests against selected backgroundscene images, and a payment and delivery computer configured to respondto guest orders for merged images by automatically charging guests anddelivering paid-for souvenir portfolios containing merged images toguests or designees, and accounting for any payment to or from thirdparties. An alternative is to take images of the guest while the videosurface is showing the actual background scene, such as a still image ofvideo clip of Times Square or a game or any other scene. One benefit ofthis alternative is the immediacy of the guest experience. Another isthat a great variety of background scenes can be available for use, andthe guest can interact with the scene that is being shown, for exampleby posing or moving or waiving.

Other preferred embodiment and variations and features thereof willbecome apparent from the detailed description and appended figures.These and other features and aspects of the new system and method areillustrated in the drawings briefly described below and from the moredetailed description of preferred embodiments that follow. The drawingsare solely for the purpose of illustration and description; they are notto scale and do not show every feature or detail, and are not intendedas a definition of the limits of the claimed inventions. Features,components, elements, and steps that are illustrated in one figure orare described in one example or embodiment of the new systems andmethods can be used together with and in combination with features,components, elements, and steps that are illustrated in anotherfigure(s) or are described in other example(s) or embodiment(s).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating main steps of a method that is anexample of an embodiment described below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system related to the method illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a key guest image and a merged image into which anextracted guest image has been inserted.

FIG. 4 illustrates several frames of a video clip showing zooming infrom a satellite image to an image of a couple that has been extractedfrom a guest key image of the couple and merged into a frame showing acrowd into which the video clip is zooming.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an environment in which guest imagescan be taken against a video display surface that can include walls, afloor, and a ceiling.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates main steps in a preferred embodiment. As one of manypossible examples, consider a facility in a tourist attraction such asthe top of a Tower in Chicago or the Empire State building in New YorkCity. The guests are tourists or other visitors. Some may be receptiveto creating and purchasing a professional quality pictorial souvenir oftheir visit. Of course, there are other examples such as visitors to anyvenue where it can be expected that some may be interested in apictorial souvenir of their experience that could include images thevisitors cannot take or at least cannot conveniently take themselves.

Some or all the steps illustrated in FIG. 1 can be included in a processthat can involve significant participation by facility personnel, or ina process that primarily involves the use of automated equipment. In thecase of the former, step 100 includes interaction between guests andfacility personnel: for example, guests are welcomed by facilitypersonnel upon arrival at the facility or a reception venue, and aredirected to an imaging studio. Any guests who decline are politelythanked and told to enjoy their visit. In step 102, a guest who has notdeclined is ushered into an imaging location to be appropriatelypositioned with respect to a video display surface and camera andlighting systems, and to receive suggestions on posing. In step 104, theguest at the imaging location can be shown scenes on the video surfaceso that one or more can be chosen for merging with guest images. Or, aniPad or similar device can show a selection of background scene imagesfor a guest to make a selection. In step 106 one or more background keyimage frames such as chroma key frames are flashed on the video surface,and guest key images are taken in sync with the chroma key images. Forexample, one or more cameras are associated with a triggering devicethat on occasion replaces a frame or field of the background scene imagewith a frame or field of a chroma key image at the same time triggersone or more cameras to image the guest, so a key guest image is takenwhile the video surface is showing a chroma key image. Or, one or morecameras are video cameras that are ON and are synched with the video ofa background scene that is shown on the video surface, and a triggeringdevice from time to time replaces a frame or field of the backgroundscene with a frame or field of a chroma key image and keeps track of theframe or field from the cameras that correspond to the flashing chromakey image. In step 108 a computer processes the guest key images toextract the images of the guest, and in step 110 selects the bestextractions, possibly including from several otherwise identical guestkey images taken with different chroma key backgrounds or by combiningguest image content from images taken with different chroma key images.In step 112, an image processing computer merges the extracted guestimages into one or more of the selected scene background images, and instep 114 at least some of the resulting merged images are displayed forthe guest to make a selection and to order any for inclusion in a guestsouvenir portfolio. Step 116 involves generating the ordered souvenirportfolios, in electronic form and/or as a hard copy, and step 118involves calculating charges and charging guests and any third partiesand providing compensation to any third parties, and step 120 includesactually delivering the portfolios and any upsell items to guests and/ortheir designees.

A variation can comprise greeting and directing guests as describedabove and having a photographer taking an image of a guest against a keyimage that may or may not be on video surface. Several guest key imagescan be taken in rapid succession, for example from different angles sothat merged images can include the guest looking up or down or straightahead, or so that different chroma key images can be used depending onitems the guest is wearing or holding or showing in different poses.After confirming the quality of the guest key image, the photographercan thank and give the guest a themed card with a code such as a 4-digitnumber or a barcode and explain where the guest can select and pick upmerged images, and possibly select background scene images. Facilitiespersonnel greet guests who might order portfolios, and scan or otherwiseenter the code in a computer system that automatically merges a guestimage extracted from the guest key images with one or more of popularbackground scene image appropriate for the venue, and the systemdisplays the results to the guest. The guest is prompted to make aselection or to view guest images merged into different backgrounds, andto make purchase decisions for merged images and any delivery options ofupsell items or services. As another example, a guest can view images ona mobile device such as a smartphone or a mounted device such as iPad tofacilitate the selection and ordering of images and portfolio options.Traffic flow and transaction speed can be enhanced by controllingfactors such as the number of options for background scene images and/ormerged images presented to a guest, the duration of display of merged orother images for selection, the number of purchase option offered to aguest, etc. The guest is given choices of ways to pay for orderedsouvenirs, and after payment the guest receives the pictorial souvenir,for example as a copy that is printed and possibly bound on the spotand/or as an electronic version.

In an example of an implementation using greater degree of automation,step 100 involves interaction by electronic communications that can bewireless or wired. For example, a guest can be prompted by a sign or insome other way to communicate by a smartphone or another wireless orwired electronic device with a system website or a system computer, tothereby initiate a transaction and record guest identification andpayment information such as a credit card number. A guest may havepreviously interacted with the same or related system, in which case theinteraction can use pre-existing information. In step 102, the guest isdirected by signs or messages to a personal device to pose at a videodisplay surface, and in step 104 the system shows the guest one or morebackground scenes, on the video surface or on the guest's electronicdevice or on another display, determines by an electronic communicationwhich background scene or scenes the guest has selected, and continuesshowing selected scenes or other material on the video surface. In step106, the video surface can show a selected background scene to the guestbut intersperse flashes of key image frames or fields, such as blue orgreen, and the camera system can take key guest images at times in synchwith the key images, possibly with multiple fixed cameras from differentangles and possibly while flashing a succession of different chroma keyimages and using different lighting choices. The video surface also canbe used to demonstrate poses to the guest for optimal capture or optimalmatch with a background scene, such as high-five or a wave. In step 108,a computer included in the system processes the guest key images toextract the guest image content. For example, if the key image is anarrow range of blue of set intensity, this process extracts pixels thatare outside that range of blue at that intensity. In step 110, thesystem computer selects the best extraction based on factors such assmoothness of the extracted image and shading. This process isfacilitated by the fact that the system computer has been informed ofthe exact color and intensity of the chroma key that was used to capturethe key guest image. For example, if guest key images were taken witheach of red, blue, and green key images, the system computer may selectthe guest image extracted from the blue background because it has thebest appearance, e.g., because the guest's clothing did not include anyblue close to the background key image. This process can compare severalguest images extracted from key guest images using different chroma keysand select the best guest image, or the best combination of guest imageswhen merged into a single guest image, based on comparison results andfactors such as smoothness of the guest images, color consistency,overall quality, etc. In step 112, the system computer merges guestimages into background scene images that the guest has selected and/orthat the computer system has selected for offering to the guest, and instep 114 offers some or all of the merged images as initial images tothe guest. The scene images can be still or video images, and can befrom stock or from live cameras viewing venues such as streets orevents. Similarly, the guest key images can be stills of video clipsgenerated by repeatedly flashing chroma key frames or fields in synchwith taking key guest image frames or fields. A guest image can bemerged into a scene image in any number of ways, including in an actionscene, such as guest image being merged as the umpire in a major play athome plate in a stored or live video background scene. A scene image caninvolve zooming in and/or out, for example zooming into the location atwhich the customer is imaged from a satellite or an aircraft. Thisshowing of background scenes can be done on the same or a differentvideo surface or display and/or on the guest's personal device such as asmartphone. If initial images are shown on a device that the system doesnot control, they can be modified in some way so that the guest wouldnot be tempted to keep them in place of paid images. For example, theinitial images can be coded to disappear from the guest device in a fewseconds, or to change in appearance, or to have lower resolution, or toinclude content that makes them less desirable than paid images. Stillin step 114, the customer communicates orders to purchase a souvenirportfolio of some or all of the images seen in initial. In step 116, thesystem computer and other equipment generate a souvenir portfoliocontaining the ordered images and possibly other material such as imagesof the venue or other sites or of people or events, promotionalmaterial, advertisements, gift items, sound, etc. Sound can come fromany of a number or sources; for example, from a guest's smartphone ormicrophones near the guest, or from stock sound tracks, of live frommicrophones at other locations. The portfolio thus can comprise stillimages, video images, or both, with or without sound. In step 118 thesystem computer calculates charges for the guest and possibly charges toor from third parties. For example, if a merged image includes a scenein which a third party has rights such as copyright, a payment may bedue to the third party. If material in the portfolio includespromotional material from a third party, a payment may be due to thesystem from a third party. Also in step 118, the system computer canfinalize the charges through an automated charging system. In step 120,the souvenir portfolio is delivered to the guest and/or designees of theguest. For example, the portfolio can be sent electronically to theguest's smartphone or tablet, to an address the guest has specified, toa printer system in the facility that can print and bind a hard copy,and/or an order can be sent to an off-site or on-site printing facilityto print and package the portfolio and deliver it to the guest or adesignee.

FIG. 2 illustrates in block diagram form facilities that can be used tocarry out processes described above. Guests can proceed through aninitial guest interaction facility 200 where they can provideidentification and charging information or where initial guest keyimages can be taken. Guests then proceed to a video surface displayfacility 202 where images of a guest can be taken against a chroma keyimage and where the guest can perceive being in different scenes byshowing such scenes on the video surface. Video surface 202 can be asingle wall of display screen such as a projection screen or screenssuch as LCDs that typically is higher and wider than a guest even whenthe guest is a group of people. In addition, video wall 202 can includesimilar screen or screens or one or more other walls, on a ceiling,and/or on the floor, so that the guest can be imaged against key imageson multiple surfaces from multiple angles. Key image storage 204provides a chroma key image to facility 200, which can be a single keyor multiple keys having different color and intensity characteristics.Background scene image storage 206 provides one or more scenes fordisplay on the video wall in facility 202 or on other displays. A camerasystem 208 takes images of the guest in facility 202, and a lightingsystem 210 provides appropriate lighting. The camera can send apreliminary image of the guest to the computer system for a coloranalysis to determine a best chroma key image, and the computer can thencommand the key image source to flash that key image on the videosurface when the cameras are taking key guest images. Storage 204,storage 206, camera system 208, and lighting system 210 operate underthe control of a computer controller 212 to flash chroma key images onvideo surface 202 as needed when camera system 208 is taking guest keyimages, to provide appropriate lighting from lighting system 210, and toshow on video surface 202 at other times scenes from storage 206, whichscenes can be backgrounds for merged images or promotional or othermaterial. The guest key images and the background scene images that havebeen selected for merging are processed in image processing facility 214into merged images, for example using technology similar to that usedfor merging images in Adobe Photoshop or in specialized chroma keycompositing software. The merged images are presented for guest reviewand selection at initial facility 216 that can use video surface 202 todisplay initial merged images, but preferably uses other displays suchas a display on a guest smartphone and/or on a video display differentfrom video surface 202. In response to orders for merged images fromguest order facility 218, which can use a guest smartphone or some otherfixed or portable electronic device, initial facility 216 supplies theordered merged images to charging facility 220, which calculates andmakes charges to the guest and to any sources of promotional materialfor items included in the guest's souvenir portfolio, and also anycharges to be paid to third parties such as copyright owners forprotected content includes in a guest portfolio. A souvenir portfolioassembly facility prepares the ordered souvenir for delivery. If only anelectronic copy is to be delivered, facility 222 sends it to deliveryfacility 224 as an electronic document for sending to the guest'ssmartphone, to an address or a social network that the guest designates,to a cloud for image or text storage and retrieval, and/or to some otherdestination that the guest specified. If a hard copy is involved,assembly facility 222 can be provided with printing andbinding/packaging equipment to prepare it, and possibly to includeadd-ons such as gift items or special effects such as special frames,LED lights, sound sources, and controllers for such lights and soundsources. Assembly facility 224 can be at the same or close physicallocation as video surface 202, or it can be at a remote location, orparts can be at different locations. For example, a part involved withsouvenir portfolios in electronic form can be at or close to videosurface 202 and a part involved in hard copy souvenir portfolios can beat a different location.

In another example, an initial image can be taken of a guest andsubjected to computer analysis for color content to select a chroma keyimage in a color that differs from guest body or attire colors.

In another example, pattern recognition can be used to generate a metricrelated to the number of people in the extracted guest image, and thecharging of gusts for the pictorial souvenirs comprises adjustingcharges in relation to the metric.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simple example of a key guest image of a womantaken against a chrome key background that can be red, green, blue, orsome other color that differs from her skin tone and dress colors, and amerged image in which the extracted image of the woman has been mergedinto a background scene of buildings.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of creating a merged image involvingzooming in to create an illusion that a satellite image is zooming in onan event at a venue with a crowd. The images above the waving couple canbe from a service such as Google Earth or from a camera on an aircraftor similar images can come from a camera mounted on a high support. Theimage of the couple can be a still or video image extracted from a guestkey image that is merged into a stock or live image of a crowd asdescribed above, and also merged into the zooming sequence video clip.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an environment in which images ofguests 500 can be taken against a video surface display that can includeside walls 202 a and 202 b, a floor 202 c, and a ceiling 202 d, with acamera system 208 with three cameras pointing to a guest 201 on floor202 c at different angles, and a lightning system 210. As describedabove any one or more of the illustrated portions of video surfacedisplay 202 can show background scene images, key images, or othermaterial.

For conciseness, the system operation described above omits conventionalsteps that a skilled computer software designer or programmer would knowhow to implement, and gives an example of a sequence of steps that neednot be performed in the illustrated order, and do not require the fullset of illustrated steps to be performed in every use of the system ormethod. As a non-limiting example, step 104 can be omitted for someimplementations, and step 116 can start before step 114.Hardware/software system designers and programmers can implementspecific examples of the disclosed systems and method without undueexperimentation according to the description in this patentspecification and can select specific design goals and tradeoffs incost, performance, and other factors.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clarity, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because suchwords are used for description purposes herein and are intended to bebroadly construed.

At least some of the process steps described above can be formatted asalgorithmic steps represented by a computer program that, when loadedinto a suitable computer system, causes the system to carry out thosesteps. In such a case, computer-readable media in which such a programis stored in non-transitory form, can be considered to be a computerprogram product.

The embodiments of the systems illustrated and described herein are byway of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to theexact details of construction and use. Components and features describedin one embodiment can be used instead of or in addition to componentsand features described in the context of other embodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of creating and distributingprofessional quality pictorial souvenirs giving the illusion that guestsat a facility were imaged at other locations, comprising: interactingwith the guests to initiate transactions and provide guest informationto a computer system; supplying chroma key images and background scenevideo images to a video display surface at a location where guests posefor imaging against the video surface; taking key guest images at thelocation in synch with chroma key images flashing on the video displaysurface at times interspersed with frames or fields of the backgroundscene images; computer-processing with said computer system the keyguest images to extract guest image content; computer-merging with saidcomputer system the extracted guest image content into the backgroundscene images to form merged images; generating preview versions of themerged images; responding to guest interaction to select some or all ofthe preview merged images; and assembling customized souvenir portfoliosthat include merged images related to the selected preview images,charging guests for the souvenirs portfolios, and delivering thesouvenir portfolios to the guests or designees thereof.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 in which the taking of key guest images comprises taking pluralkey guest images of the same guest, each taken while the video displaysurface is showing respective different chroma key images.
 3. The methodof claim 2 in which the taking of plural key guest images comprisesflashing the respective different chroma key images in rapid successionon the video display surface.
 4. The method of claim 2 in which theimage-processing comprises comparing guest images extracted from theplural key guest images and selecting for merging a guest image thatmeets selected image quality criteria.
 5. The method of claim 4 in whichthe image quality criteria include differences between color content inthe extracted images and chroma key images.
 6. The method of claim 1 inwhich the taking of key guest image comprises concurrently taking imagesfrom plural cameras having respective perspectives.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 in which the merging comprises merging extracted images intobackground scene images that comprise video clips including zooming inand/or out.
 8. The method of claim 1 in which the image processingcomprises using pattern recognition to generate a metric related to thenumber of people in the extracted customer image, and the charging ofcustomers for the pictorial souvenirs comprises adjusting charges inrelation to the metric.
 9. The method of claim 1 comprising including atleast a part of the video display surface in a floor on which a gueststands.
 10. The method of claim 1 comprising including the video displaysurface in more than one wall surrounding a guest.
 11. The method ofclaim 1 comprising projecting the least some of the background sceneimages on the video display surface.
 12. The method of claim 1 includingshowing of background scene images on one or more electronic screenscomprising said video display surface.
 13. The method of claim 1 inwhich the interacting with guests is via smartphones.
 14. A automatedsystem configured to create professional quality pictorial souvenirsgiving the illusion that a guest is imaged at another location,comprising: a guest facility that comprises a video display surfaceserving as background for taking one or more images of the guest and anautomated camera system configured to take images of the guest at thefacility; a video image source of scene and key image frames; a systemcontrol computer configured to direct the image source to supplyselected scene image and key image frames or fields to the video displaysurface and to direct the video display surface to display the suppliedframes or fields at alternate times; the system control computer beingfurther configured to direct the camera system to take one or moreimages of the guest when the video display surface is displaying keyframes or fields, thereby producing one or more key guest images; animage processing computer configured to receive the key guest images,extract images of guests therein, and merge the extracted images withrespective selected scene images, thereby forming merged images ofguests inserted into selected scene image backgrounds; a payment anddelivery computer configured to respond to guest orders for mergedimages by charging customers and delivering paid-for merged images tocustomers.
 15. The system of claim of claim 14 in which the videodisplay surface includes a video floor adapted to support guests. 16.The system of claim 14 in which the system control computer isconfigured to direct the video display surface to display in successiona plurality of key frames or fields that differ in color while thecamera system is taking key guest images.
 17. The system of claim 14 inwhich the image processing computer is further configured to comparequalities of key guest images taken in association with the plurality ofkey frames or fields and to select for merging a key guest frame meetingselected quality criteria.
 18. The system of claim 14 in which thesystem control computer is configured to direct the video displaysurface to rapidly flash a succession of key frames while the camerasystem is taking key guest images.
 19. The system of claim 14 in whichthe video display surface comprises plural walls surrounding a locationat which the key guest images are taken.
 20. The system of claim 14 inwhich the video display surface comprises a ceiling over a location atwhich the key guest images are taken.
 21. The system of claim 14 inwhich the image processing computer is configured to merge an extractedimage of a guest into a background scene image that comprises a videoclip giving the illusion of a background scene that zooms in and/or outof the guest.